That Unique Monster Who Just Got the 'Consciousness' Passive Skill

"Who cares 'bout that! We gotta take her back!"

Wait? Did they think of catching me? No way in hell they'd managed that

They were born at least a thousand years too early for that. It was weird saying that when I myself was only three-day-old, but it was true. Using the Quick Pace technique again, I made it clear they weren't catching me anytime soon.

A family. I had gotten myself a family. It was all fake because they didn't know what I was, but it still meant something to me. And now they decided to take that family away from me? Did they just expect me to give up on my home? If they did, they underestimated me. I couldn't just lose that family without putting up a good fight.

Kind Ma'am told me there's nothing as precious as a family. No treasure on earth could even compare to it. And I believed she was right. Because, though preposterous it may have been to say so, that kind ma'am had showered me with so much love in the short span of a day that I could confidently say that, for whatever reason, she had accepted me into her family. Sure, I was a monster. But so what? I'd just keep it a secret. Forever. I could. I wasn't just your regular monster. I was unique, strong, and able.

Kind Ma'am certainly was precious to me, at any rate. Even though my circumstances were a bit complicated, she still was precious. I wouldn't give up on her. Probably.

Still on the run, I shot forward at a rapid pace. Voices called out to me from behind. Hey you brat, they said, you come back here immediately. But the piercing sound of my thin body through the wind didn't diminish in intensity. It increased. Each time my feet landed on the ground, I was shot like an arrow. The voices also urged me to think of my poor people, the people who need me, the people I couldn't leave behind. Please, said the voice, please.

It was faint, but I could hear them. Would it be that easy to escape? They really were desperate about me. They needed to catch their princess. At the same time, they needed to get it through their thick heads that I wasn't 'her' anymore. I mean, I never had been her in the first place. It got me wondering while running, what could their story even be? It seemed so heavy-loaded. It worried me. Would these guys, too, get me in trouble like the Bro-Ther-Thieves, with their weird poses and stuff, troubled me so much? Regardless, I was off now. The forest was dense, and in spite of their cries of desperation, begging me to either stop or curse me, my silhouette only got farther and farther away from them.

Where was I headed? After having hopped off the chariot, in the middle of the road, scanning my surroundings, I saw the two sole directions that were available to me. I needed to run off, and quickly. To the right? To the left? I would of course go to the left. That's from where the carriage came, and as I wanted to go back home, this was the way. Did I take the left, however? It might have been a risky move, but I decided just to cut through the forest first, in order to get rid of the two elves, before I'd get back on the road.

In the dense forest, there were so many bushes, branches, and trees. For one last time, I overheard the kinder elf's voice behind me, as if the fog spoke to me. I was going at full speed, but I was careless enough to try and take a peek behind me. And that's exactly when I was smashed against the thick bark of a tree, with tiny cartoon stars flying circles around my head. I was totally knocked out. Temporarily.

I quickly came to. But when I did, my ears were ringing like mad. I'd been too careless. Was that blood on my hands? That sharp pain I sensed coming from my head… What, did it try to tell me I was dying? My brows were heavily pressed down on my eyes. A dull sensation of numbness was striking me all over my body. My vision was blurred out a lot. Up till now, I thought I'd been standing up, but when I tried and sit my ass down, I realized I was on all fours. And for the sake of my survival, like the System would say, I assumed I wasn't dead nor dying.

"P-Princess—"

"Y-You're not dying on us, are you, brat!"

"Sh-Shit?" Since when were those clingy dogs here? They must have just arrived. Otherwise, they would have captured me back. Crap. I must have looked so dumb, too. Taking off on my own like this to just fall? Quite pathetic. What a moron I was. It was cool, I managed to stand up. Oh, and I didn't pay attention, but the kinder elf was right next to me. He startled me when he proposed to lend a hand.

"Move it!" I yelled. So they'd had time to catch up to me. I cleared my throat, taking a step back, eyeing both of them suspiciously. "Ahem. Sorry about that. I'll be fine on my own… from now on. Okay? Piss off. And don't look at me like this, kinder elf. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Go away. Shoo." Stepping back, I turned my back on them, cradling my head in my hands. The hideous elf was on standby mode, and the kinder elf asked me whether I'd really be all right without a healing spell.

I got angry. "Why are we even having this conversation?!" Now that I'd fully recovered my spirits, I kind of felt bad for the white-haired elf, namely the kinder one, but really I couldn't do anything to help them see through their problem. And maybe because I felt bad for him, I didn't immediately run away. Also, with a sharp movement, the short-haired elf made to grab my arm, but a pissed look from the white elf was enough to stop him.

What happened to these two while I was knocked out? I could only guess, but as it seemed that White-haired, here, was the one with the most authority, I figured Hideous was just called to order. Hideous looked quite meek now. He didn't utter a word, nor even silently glared daggers at me. He was more docile overall. Against all expectations, with proper training, you could always put your dog back on the right path. Congratulating White-haired. Inwardly, I gave him a thumbs-up.

As I made to leave, White-haired stepped up. "Obviously, Princess, we weren't familiar with the fact that… your father, the late King, had taught you the way of the sword, too. I must apologize for my lack of attention. However, still, I'm afraid, Princess, that we cannot take such risks." His sight was cast downward.

What was it about my father or something? I sighed. "Could you just leave, mister? I don't know you."

"Princess. The mastery with which you perform that fast-paced technique is very impressive. One can indeed see how much time and effort you have spent training and refining those skills." He couldn't be farther from the truth, but I said nothing. "...I'm repeating myself, but… I can only see how much effort and time you have put into growing stronger. You have reached a high level. And only you know how many other tricks up your sleeve you have in wait."

"And? Just get straight to the point, White-haired."